Editor’s Note: At times, the feed below does not work, but you can always access the IndepthYOU show by clicking on the BlogTalkRadio link at the bottom of this post. If the feed is working, ENJOY!
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On this day I’m letting others do the talking. You’ve probably heard of BlogTalkRadio but are you familiar with the IndepthYOU show on BlogTalkRadio? Each segment profiles “people who have created, invented, written or developed something that could improve our lives and/or change our way of thinking.” And the show is heavy on publishing industry types.
A number of authors and others in the publishing biz have been featured–from bestselling author L.A. Banks to book marketing guru John Kremer–many of them appearing in the widget above. And they give lots of advice about getting published and promoting your books. The director of public relations at Lulu.com and the CEO of IUniverse, two of the leading self-publishing programs, discuss their services. Tee C. Royal, founder of the literary group R.A.W.Sistaz talks about the book club and how writers can promote their books. And so many more have appeared on the show talking about books and publishing.
So put your feet up, scroll on down and take a listen.
In February and March, book publicist Cheryl Malandrinos was featured in interviews here on Page One along with her partner Dorothy Thompson in All About Virtual Book Tours). They were so forthcoming with informative and helpful details about virtual book tours that their interview ran in two parts.
Today you can join Cheryl Malandrinos for a virtual book tour workshop as she discusses blog tours and answers questions from callers on Blog Talk Radio. She will be the guest of Dennis Griffin, today April 18, at 11 a.m. Pacific/2 p.m. Eastern time. The show will be archived on the site shortly after its completion and can be played back or downloaded. The number to call in is 646-478-0982.
So join Cheryl if you can. The show is bound to full of useful information about virtual book tours, and you get to ask an expert questions.
Have you ever been on a roller coaster ride? For thrill-seeking adventurers, the experience is nothing short of exhilarating. From ascent to descent, the lung capacity short-circuits and the heart skips a beat or two before lurching back into rhythm again. An indescribable high, too complicated to verbalize but so easily felt, races inside with every loop, twist, and climb. In the end, the challenge is every bit as rewarding as the excitement.
This is exactly what I experienced in February 2008 during my month-long virtual book tour.
There’s not an author on the face of the earth who’s written a book and didn’t promote it in some fashion. Personally, I don’t consider virtual book tours as another craze that will eventually run its course over time. I hail them as a sophisticated marketing tool that authors in the twenty-first century have at their disposal, but with some very distinct and enhanced features, advantages and benefits (FABs).
The concept of a virtual book tour isn’t complicated, but it does require direct and active involvement from an author to yield maximum success. In addition to the basic features of traditional forms of advertising campaigns, a virtual book tour also offers a unique opportunity to include other promotional tools including book trailers, contest announcements and author interviews. These tools are available to any author, of course, but a book tour can make them easier to access and to promote.
What are the FABs of a virtual book tour? Thanks for asking!
Features—You post interviews and participate in blogs at several high-trafficked websites over an extended period of time.
Advantages—Exclusivity! You’re the only author being spotlighted on the site that day.
Benefits—You have the ability to reach hundreds, if not thousands, of potential buyers within your target audience and to maximize your marketing budget.
Virtual book tours may not be of interest to every author and that’s okay. As a new author who also happens to be a wife, mother and working professional and one who’s trying to make a mark in an overly populated literary arena, I’ve found virtual book tours to be an excellent marketing tool that meets the demands of my oftentimes hectic schedule.
You might be wondering if I’ll ever do another virtual book tour. The answer is, yes. I have one scheduled for June 2008.
LaConnie Taylor-Jones’ latest novel, When A Man Loves A Woman, was released earlier this month. The book trailer for that novel can be viewed on her website. The book trailer for her previous novel, When I’m With You, can be viewed here.
This week we focus on using the Internet as a tool to promote books.
Connie Briscoe Presents–
First, fiction author LaConnie Taylor-Jones will discuss the experiences she had on a virtual book tour–or blog tour–back in February of this year. LaConnie feels her virtual book tour was so successful that she’s doing another one in June for her upcoming book. LaConnie also highlights what she feels are the three biggest advantages of a virtual book tour.
Writing Tips
And I’ll provide more writing tips, specifically several resources for authors and aspiring authors that can be found on the Internet. And I’ll list some memorable and very relevant fiction writing tips attributed to a famous author.
I haven’t read the book, but the trailer is stunningly good. Looks like it could be for a blockbuster film rather than a book. I couldn’t figure out who produced it, though. The book publisher appears to be in the United Kingdom. If anyone knows, do tell the rest of us.
Denene Millner is a columnist for Parenting magazine. She has worked as a senior editor at Honey and as an entertainment and political journalist for the New York Daily News. She is also the author of several books including the movie tie-in for the blockbuster film “Dreamgirls.” She lives in Atlanta with her husband and their two daughters.
Connie Briscoe: How did you end up writing Hotlanta with your co-author, Mitzi Miller?
Denene Millner: Mitzi and I got into the teen market by invitation. Alloy Media, the company behind the uber popular teen lit series The Gossip Girls, the A-List,The Clique, and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, among others, was looking for a writer to pen a teen series featuring African American characters, and their reps called our agent to see if Mitzi was interested. She was, but Alloy wanted the series to be set in Atlanta, and so they were anxious to have an Atlanta-based writer on the project as well. It just so happened that a month prior to the start of those conversations, my family and I had moved to a town just outside of Atlanta.
So it kind of worked out for everyone involved; Mitzi and I, who had collaborated on the humorous non-fiction book The Angry Black Woman’s Guide to Life, and the novel, The Vow (with Angela Burt-Murray), got another opportunity to team up again, and Alloy got their Atlanta-based author.
We eventually sold the proposal to Scholastic and ended up with a three-book series, entitled Hotlanta. It’s about the lives of Sydney and Lauren Duke, the popular and privileged daughters of a wealthy Buckhead, Atlanta, couple that has a dark, mysterious, dangerous history that the girls discover. And let the drama begin . . . .
CB: You’ve published in a variety of genres–fiction, nonfiction, the movie-tie in for “Dreamgirls” and now teen fiction. Why the teen market?
Denene Millner: Why the teen market? Why not? I’ve always been passionate about books; they were my best friends when I was coming of age and a welcome respite when I got grown. And when I started writing them, they became a viable way for me to help feed my family and save up for that Yale tuition.
I’m also the mother of two beautiful little brown girls, and before our first was even born, my husband, Nick Chiles, and I filled her room with as many African American children’s books as we could find because we thought it was important for her to see characters who look like her, to hear stories that reflect her experience.
And believe it or not, just about nine years ago, those stories were few and far between. While we’re doing a lot better with picture books featuring black characters, there has been a dearth of black teen fare. So I thought writing Hotlanta provided me with the perfect opportunity to put out stories that are universally appealing, but that reach an audience that has been grossly underserved.
CB: Doesn’t that require a big shift in gears mentally?
Denene Millner: It didn’t take that vast of a mental stretch to write Hotlanta. When we wrote the proposal and the first book, my then-16-year-old niece was living with Nick and I, and my 15-year-old stepson lives with us now, so I get to see the ways of teenagers up close and personal—sometimes a little too close!—and get their input as I’m writing so that the words, the voices, and the way they deal with the situations you find in the book ring true.
But really, writing for teens isn’t about lowering your level or standards or talking in any kind of different way. We write for them the same way we do adults—in a straightforward, clear way that’s smart and exciting and interesting.
The only real challenge we had was keeping up with was the pop culture obsession of it all; by the time we’d finish referencing something teens are into and move on to the next page, we’d find out that they’re just not into that one thing anymore. But I think we did a good job of keeping current without sacrificing a good, solid story.
CB: If you had to come up with a general theme for all or most of your novels (and books) what would it be?
Denene Millner: I’m extremely passionate about shining a light on the African American experience in a way that stretches beyond stereotypes, in a way that recognizes our layers and the nuanced lives we live. For too long, all anyone interested in the black experience had to go on were the stereotypes parading across the 11 o’clock news, and I think a lot of us 90s authors—you, Terry McMillan, Benilde Little, Bebe Moore Campbell-helped show the publishing world that there’s so much more to us.
This is the philosophy I carried as a journalist for The Associated Press and the New York Daily News; I carved a niche as one of the only black journalists writing about African Americans in the film, music, TV and book industries, as well as our lifestyles. It’s important to me because it reflects my world the way I was raised, the way I’m raising my children, my friends and family, our existence here on this earth.
Seldom are we heard, but we are here—these black folks who are solidly middle class, getting good educations, succeeding at work, living a good, thoughtful, authentically black life. My books always speak to this or validate it, really.
They also serve as a testament that black love, in all of its manifestations, is possible. I see it everyday in my marriage and the marriages of my friends, family, parents, and in-laws. And I show it to my children every single day, so that they’re clear of the possibilities, too. I really hope that is the takeaway for the work I’ve done.
CB: Do you do things outside of what the publisher does to promote your books? If so, what?
Annette Fix, former exotic dancer and now author, has penned her memoir, The Break-Up Diet, in which she talks about how she survived being dumped by her live-in boyfriend, when she thought she was going to live with him “happily- ever-after.” The Break-Up Diet is self-published, and Annette has devised some really creative ways to promote herself and her book, which she shares generously here.
Connie Briscoe: You seem to wear many caps: fiction and nonfiction author, spoken-word performer, publicist, senior editor for a popular website on writing, and last but certainly not least, a mom. How do you find the time and energy to do so much?
Annette Fix: I love everything about what I do. I think that makes a huge difference in my attitude when I wake up and start each new day. I just wish there were more hours in a day to do it all! I’m fortunate that my son is older now and very close to testing his wings. It was harder to juggle everything when I was working, home-schooling, and trying to carve out time to write. Although I seem to keep adding more on my to-do list!
CB: I understand that. There’s an interesting story behind your memoir The Break-Up Diet. Tell us what it is about and why you decided to write it.
Annette Fix: I was initially working on a feature film screenplay with a producer who had a picture deal with Disney. Then my live-in boyfriend dumped me off the back of the happily-ever-after horse. It turned me into a complete wreck, and I started journaling about the break-up. One of my girlfriends suggested I write it as a book. I backed out of the film project and began writing The Break-Up Diet. It started as therapy and I had no idea if it would end up being a 900-page diatribe of horrible relationship experiences, but it turned out to be my own real-life fairytale.
CB: You indicate that you found an agent but still struggled with landing a publisher. Why do you think that was?
Annette Fix: My agent was shopping my memoir as fiction because my voice and the content of the story are very “chick-litty.” The biggest problem was that the chick-lit market was saturated, and the editors didn’t feel my story was strong enough to compete. But I believe the actual strength of the story is that the happily-ever-after ending is true, and my message is that it really can happen.
CB: So you decided to publish The Break-Up Diet yourself and spent a year learning the ropes. Tell us a bit about that time.
Annette Fix: When I first considered self-publishing, I looked into a few of the major subsidy publishers such as Author House and iUniverse. But I ultimately decided their business model wasn’t right for me. So I established my own indie (independent) press and went step-by-step through the production process. It was a crash-course, and I made a lot of financial missteps along the way but I’m very happy with the final product. I think the best part of the process was being in the position to call my own shots about how the cover and interior would look, how it would be marketed, and so on.
CB: You’ve also been very creative as far as promoting the book with forums, blogs and other ideas. Tell us more about some of the things you’ve done to promote the book.
Annette Fix: I’ve tried to think of every possible way to incorporate marketing ideas I’ve read about. I wanted to find ways to create fun things on my site to connect with readers, some things that would also help promote the book.
I’m not quite finished implementing everything I have planned, but so far, on the book website for The Break-Up Diet, I’ve posted excerpts of the book, an audio clip of me reading from the book, a video welcome—which will soon be replaced by a hilarious book trailer—a blog—which I really should keep up more than I do—a MySpace page, and reading questions for book groups. I also created a forum called My Break-Up Story, where women can read and share—and have the last word telling their break-up and dating stories. I think that will really be a blast when more women find out about it.
I plan to create a fun, Cosmo-like “How do you know if you’re on the break-up diet?” quiz. And I’m currently working on a free down-loadable companion e-book that has tips and distractions to help women get over a tough break-up. I’ll be encouraging readers to pass it along to their friends who need it.
When Lee McDonald– director of marketing and events at Karibu Books–contacted me shortly after Karibu closed to let me know that she and Charlotte Reid (also of Karibu Books) would be taking on clients to help them with marketing, publicity, events and scheduling, I knew that I had to get the word out. If you’ve worked with Karibu, you know Lee McDonald and the excellent work she did for the bookstore and the many authors who appeared there over the years. No matter what the book market was doing, I could always count on a big crowd showing up–sometimes numbering in the hundreds–whenever I appeared for a book signing at Karibu. This woman knows her book marketing stuff.
For Connie Briscoe Presents, Lee shares what it takes to succeed in the book marketing and publicity business and what’s next for her after the closing of Karibu Books.
Connie Briscoe: How long did you work as director of marketing and events for Karibu?
Lee McDonald: I started Karibu in 2001. I dabbled in all areas of the business–sales, buying, warehouse, et cetera–and became the director of marketing and events sometime in 2002.
CB: Before we get into your new venture, can you tell us a bit about why Karibu closed?
Lee McDonald: Well, I don’t really want to speak on the behalf of either of the owners but I will say that there were differences in the vision and growth of Karibu, therefore the business suffered.
CB: Do you think it will ever reopen, and if so, when?
Lee McDonald: Connie, you know, that is a question I continually get! I do not know, but knowing the drive and passion that Karibu was built from, it would not surprise me to see a Karibu reappear in the future.
CB: Good. We’ve all got our fingers crossed. You handled book marketing and events for Karibu. For someone who might be interested in pursuing that kind of work, what kind of training and experience did you have?
Lee McDonald: Interestingly enough, my background is in hospitality/human resource and hotel management. With that said, I think if you have a background in selling, servicing and interacting with people that you can market and/or brand a product. The ability to effectively communicate with lots of people is very important. Many of the contacts you make will be about building relationships, so complete professionalism and timely follow up are also important. Lastly, of course, is results. You must have the numbers to compliment the relationships. I serviced approximately 600 events each year while working to market and brand Karibu as a household name, and with the help of the team we sold lots of books!
CB: Indeed you did. Tell us about this new venture you’re planning.
Lee McDonald: After the closure of Karibu, I started my own marketing and event consulting company, The Renaissance Group, LLC. My partner Charlotte Reid and I will service individuals and small business clients, including national and self-published authors. We will also service some of the literary events that are held each year. Currently, we are working with Harrine Freeman author of How to Get out of Debt, Dr. Leslie Browder, a life coach who is working on a new book, and Floyd Seymour a fitness expert who owns his own gym. And we’re working on programming for the Baltimore Book Festival 2008. We have some other pending clients and projects, so stay tuned for those. Lastly, we anticipate starting a newsletter, The Renaissance Review, very soon.
No it has nothing to do with sex, drugs or rhythm and blues. Rather, Squidoo is a website of the social kind, sort of like MySpace or Facebook–but more for grownups (heh!). Squidoo lets you create a website on a topic that you like or have knowledge about and it gives you all sorts of cool tools to do it with. You can use Squidoo to spread the word about something you love, or you can try to make money directly on the site by selling stuff related to what you post.
Use Squidoo to Market Your Books
Or . . . you can use Squidoo as a book marketing tool. I have a Squidoo page about getting published, and I mainly use that site to drive traffic to this site. This is another great use for Squidoo. You can use it as a marketing tool to attract new visitors to another website. All sorts of visitors are drawn into Squidoo by other sites, and the trick is to get them to check your Squidoo site.
So check out Squidoo and while you’re there take a look around at some of the other Squidoo lenses (a page in Squidoo is called a lens). You can start with the top 100 lenses or just explore randomly. There are some really cool and informative lenses there–there’s also some junk but you can avoid that. And if you’re looking to market your book site or something else, Squidoo can help drive traffic to your site. When I first started my lens it hit the top 100 and got a ton of traffic.
This week, we continue the two part series about virtual book tours with Dorothy Thompson and Cheryl C. Malandrinos of Pump Up Your Book Promotion, a company that sets up virtual book tours for authors. Part 1 of “All About Virtual Book Tours” appeared a few weeks ago and it was one of this sites most popular posts. And it’s no wonder. Pump Up Your Book Promotion has a client list that includes New York Times bestselling authors, self-published authors, screenwriters and others.
So here as promised, “All About Virtual Book Tours,” Part 2–
Connie Briscoe: How much traffic do the sites that you select for an author’s book tour normally get on average?
Dorothy Thompson: What we do when we approach a blogger is to make sure several things are in place. Is the blog updated frequently? If it is, there is a good chance they are established in the search engines. If I see a full set of archives dating back to 2005, that’s a plus. Understanding how blogs work in regards to the search engines helps me find the best stops I can for my clients.
Cheryl Malandrinos: There isn’t really an average amount of traffic because each tour is individualized to meet the needs of the client. At times, clients will suggest blogs that they want to have as part of their tours. These aren’t always the highest traveled blogs, but they might belong to a friend or be a perfect genre or topic match, so we use them. We always search for the best blogs to host our clients and have found many wonderful places for them to visit.
CB: What types of books seem to do best on a virtual book tour?
Cheryl Malandrinos: My client list has included authors from a variety of genres: science-fiction, paranormal romance, Christian fiction, time travel romance, young adult fiction, historical fiction, and memoir. I haven’t had a client come back to me and say, “I didn’t sell any books.” But from my client list the two that reported the most significant sales to me were time travel romance and historical fiction.
Dorothy Thompson: To be honest, the books that do better on virtual book tours are the ones that have 100% participation. In other words, the authors are putting themselves into the tour by promoting in all the venues they have, to coincide with all the venues we have. Together they become a powerful marketing campaign.
But I do want to mention something about subject matter. What I do when I start setting up a tour is look over the author’s application carefully. What’s the hook? What is it about this author that I can use to bring to everyone’s attention? While it might look like all we do is set up authors on blogs and websites, we’ve actually got a game plan for each author.
I have an author touring right now whose book is about Sept. 11 but not only is it fictional, it’s written from the terrorists’ point of view. The way I understand it is this author was turned down by New York publishers because of the subject material. I started reading the book and was amazed at not only the writing, but also how drawn I was into the book because I was seeing the “other side’s” point of view. I said, “That’s it. That’s my hook.”
I've written both fiction and nonfiction and hit most of the major bestseller lists including the New York Times and Essence magazine. And I'm still trying to figure it all out.
Nevertheless, this blog is where I’ll share what I know about writing and promoting books. For more detail on what's here, check the
about page.
